Apparatus for the manufacture of glass sheets.



PATENTED APR. 1'7, 1906.

F. L. O. WADSWORTH. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAGTURE 0F GLASS SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

www? f PATENTED APR. 17, 1906.

F. L. O. WADSVVORTH.

APPARATUS POR THE MANUFAGTURE 0F GLASS SHEETS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.1s, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z WITNESSES BNVENT R @M ci. 0.

ITEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. O. l/VADSWORTH, OF MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TOPRESSED PRISM PLATE GLASS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFWEST VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR THE IVIANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 17, 1906.

Original application filed October l, 1903, SerialNo. 175,296. NowPatent No. 798,645, September 5,1905. Divided and this application tiledAugust 16, 1905. Serial No. 274,393.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L: O. WADs- WORTH, of Morgantown, Monongaliacounty, West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for theManufacture of Glass Sheets, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 shows myapparatus in vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a partial verticalsection on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionshowing a modified construction of one of the plungers of Fig. 1, i 5the plunger being adapted to be moved vertically to and from the surfaceof the glass sheet by fluid-pressure instead of the mechanical meansillustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section ofa machine ofmodified 2o construction. Fig. 5 is a partial cross-section on the lineV V of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of another modification.Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the pressingblocks shown in Fig. 6.

The present application is a division of my Patent No. 798,645, grantedSeptember 5, 1905.

My invention consists in a machine for making glass sheets, in which thesheet is first 3o spread from a molten mass of glass by a roller and asit is spread it is successively pressed by suitable pressing deviceswhich follow the action of the roller. These pressing devices may befigured so as to produce upon the glass a figured pattern either forornamentation or for useful purposes, as where prisms are thusimpressed.

My apparatus may be of various forms other. than those which I haveshown in the 4o drawings.

In Fig. 1, 2 is the table, on which the glass sheet is spread, and 3 isa roll which is moved along the table by sprocket-chains or otherwisefor the purpose of spreading the sheet from a mass of plastic glass 4 inthe ordinary way. The pressing of the glass following the spreadingaction of the roll is accomplished by a series of vertical dies orplungers 5 5, which are mounted in the frame of the ma* 5o chine side byside between vertical guides 6 6. They are actuated by cranks 7 andlinks 8, connecting the cranks at points 9 to the plungers. The cranksare actuated by gearwheels 10, fixed to the crank shafts and adapted tobe rotated successively by a rack 11, which is connected to the carriageof the roll 3 and moves therewith. This rack is at the rear of the roll,and as the roll moves along the table in the direction of the arrow andspreads the glass sheet the rack engages successively the gear-wheels 10and turns them, so as to bring the plungers downward upon the surface ofthe glass. The plungers operate in succession, so that as soon as aportion of the glass sheet has been rolled and is exposed behind theroller the plunger engages it, impressing upon it the figured sur" lface which is on the die-faces 5 at the lower ends of the plunger. Whenthe glass sheet has thus been completely rolled and pressed, theplungers can be raised from its surface by detaching the pins 12, whichconnect the roll 3 to its carriage 4 and then moving back the rack 11 byreversing the motion of the sprocket-chain 13, which actuates therollcarriage. As the rack is retracted it turns the gears 10 back totheir original position and elevates the plungers from the glass,leaving the latter free to be removed. The plungers may be maintained intheir elevated position by any suitable means which will prevent thecranks 7 from passing their upper centers, as by a conical-endedspring-pressed pin (not shown) in the guides 6, seating in a conicalrecess in the plungers 5 at the proper time.

The plungers may be actuated by fiuidpressure, as illustrated in Fig. 3.In this case each plunger 5a is mounted movably on a stationary piston14, which is hollow and is connected with a fluid-supply pipe 15 by avalve 16, so that when the air or other motive fluid passes through thepiston from this valve it will move the plunger downwardly. The liftingof the plunger may be effected by a second connection 17 between thevalve and the upper end of the plunger, so that by moving the valve toconnect the passage 17 with the supply and to connect the passage in thepiston with the exhaust the fluidpres sure will raise the plunger. Whenthe plungers are thus constructed., the workman operating the machinemay move the valves so as to bring the plungers upon the glass suc- IOOcessively as the roller advances or these valves may be movedautomatically by a suitable connection with a roll-carriage.

Yspeed as the roll by a pinion 21, connected with the roll by asprocket-chain 22 and with the table by a rack 23. The mass of plasticglass 4 is placed upon the table in the rear of the roll and is spreadinto the form of a sheet as the table moves under the roll. As thelsheet passes beneath the pile of presser-blocks 18 the lowest block ofthe pile moves with it beneath the presser-foot 20 and a succeedingblock drops upon the glass and is in turn carried under thepresser-foot, which serves to hold the blocks in place until the glasshas set. In order that each block may descend in right lines upon thesurface of the sheet and may not tip as the support of the block beneathis withdrawn, I employ a guiding device consisting, preferably, ofrotary wheellike frames 24, rotated by thel weight of the blocks, whichframes are journaled at the ends of the pile of blocks and the teeth ofwhich are engaged by pins, preferably faced. with antifriction-rolls 25at the front and rear corners of the blocks. The engagement of thesepins with the frames prevents the block from tipping and causes it todescend with its under-figured surface perfectlylevel upon the sheet.The teeth of the guide-frames 24 being horizontal offer no obstructionto the disengagement of the blocks as they are carried successivelyunder the presser-foot. In ord er that the pressing-blocks may be movedpositively and may not be dependent upon their contact with the glassfor carrying them under the presser-foot, I prefer to provide the tablewith projections 26, which engage the rolls 25 on the blocks, and inorder that the presser-foot 20 may yield somewhat to accommodate itselfto the changes in the thickness of the glass I prefer to make itseparate from the frame 19 and to back it with springs 27.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 I show a modified construction ofthe pressingblocks. In this case they are connected flexibly in a serieswhich extends under a following roll 28, one end of the series beingattached, as at 29, to the table and the other end attached to a weightor other yielding connection 30. The roll 28 is journaled in thecarriage of the forming-roll 3 and moves with it. It is followed by apresser foot or feet 31, connected with the carriage and extending alongthe table, being provided with rollers 32 for engagement with thesurfaces of the blocks. The presser-foot'31 is held against upwardmotion by arms 33, which extend downward and have roller-bearings 33engaging the under surface of the table. As the roll 3 is moved over themass of plastic glass it spreads it into a sheet, and the following roll28 moves over the presser-blocks 18, pressing their figure-facessuccessively down upon the surface of the sheet. lThe contact of theblocks with the glass is maintained after the roller 28 has passedl andduring the setting of the glass by the retaining action of thepresser-foot 31.

The preferred construction of the pressingblocks of Fig. 6 is shown in-Figs 7 and 8. Each block is pivoted to the next by arms 34, the pivotalaxis being coincident with the joint between the adjacent blocks, sothat the bending of the iiexible series will not cause their separation.

I claim- 1. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having a sheet-formingroll, a table, and a series of successively-operating pressing-dieswhich act upon the sheet substantially as described.

2. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having a sheet-forming roll, atable, a series of successivelyoperating pressing dies which act uponthesheet, and mechanism adapted to move the dies against the sheet asthe rolling rprogresses substantially as described.

3. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having a sheet-forming roll, atable, a series of,

dies, and means by which the dies are successively moved against thesheet as the sheet is rolled, substantially as described.

4. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having'a sheet-forming roll, atable, and a series of successivelyoperating figured pressingdies whichact upon the sheet, substantially as described.

5. Apparatus for making glass sheets, hav ing a sheet-forming roll, atable, a series of successively-operating 'figured pressing-dies whichact uponthe sheet, and mechanism adapted to move the dies against thesheet as the rolling progresses, substantially as described.

6. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having a sheet-forming roll, atable, a series of figured dies, and means by which the dies aresuccessively moved against the sheet as the sheet is rolledlsubstantially as described.

7. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having a sheet-forming roll, atable, a series of dies'elevated above the path of the roll, andmechanism operating to move the dies successively against the sheet asthe roll passes substantially as described.

8. Apparatus for making glass sheets, having a sheet-forming roll, atable, a series of successively-operating pressing-dies which IOO IIO

IZO

act upon thesheet, and means for holding nected With the roll;substantially as de- 1o the dies against the sheet until the glass hasscribed.

set; substantially as described. In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset 9. Apparatus for making glass sheets, havmy hand. 5 ing asheet-forming roll, a table, a series of FRANK L O WADSWORTHsuccessively-operating pressing-dies Which act upon the sheet, andmechanism adapted Witnesses:

to move the dies against the sheet as the roll- K G. M. VIERs, ingprogresses, said mechanism being con- H. M. CORWIN.

